Kobe Bryant who spent 7 years of his childhood in the town of Reggio Emilia passed away this Sunday in a helicopter crash with his daughter 13-year-old daughter, Gianna. According to the Italian basketball federation, every Italian basketball team at all levels will give a moment of silence for Kobe in every game for the next 7 days.
When Bryant was 6, his father retired after his NBA career and moved his family to Italy. Kobe played 5 seasons in Lazio, Calabria, and Tuscany and two more seasons in Reggio Emilia.
In 2016, Bryant returned to Italy and gave an entire speech in Italian. He told the newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, “My story started in this city,” adding, “Would you believe that one of the best players in the NBA could grow up here? There is nowhere further from Los Angeles.”
The president of the Italian Basketball Federation, Giovanni Petruccsaid told CNN, ” “We are shocked and saddened by what happened to him and his daughter Gianna and we hold his family close to our hearts in this moment of sorrow.”
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